Oakland Mayor Jean Quan sees hope amid chaos

OAKLAND

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan gets a warm welcome from the crowd at the Annual State of the City Address, Wednesday February 8, 2012, in the City Council Chambers at City Hall in Oakland, Calif.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan gets a warm welcome from the crowd at the Annual State of the City Address, Wednesday February 8, 2012, in the City Council Chambers at City Hall in Oakland, Calif.

Photo: Lacy Atkins, The Chronicle

Photo: Lacy Atkins, The Chronicle

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Oakland Mayor Jean Quan gets a warm welcome from the crowd at the Annual State of the City Address, Wednesday February 8, 2012, in the City Council Chambers at City Hall in Oakland, Calif.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan gets a warm welcome from the crowd at the Annual State of the City Address, Wednesday February 8, 2012, in the City Council Chambers at City Hall in Oakland, Calif.

Photo: Lacy Atkins, The Chronicle

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan sees hope amid chaos

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After a year of nearly nonstop crises, Mayor Jean Quan Wednesday portrayed Oakland as a resilient city rebounding from economic and political wreckage.

In her first State of the City address, Quan highlighted the city's booming arts, culinary and cultural scenes and some signs that Oakland might be emerging from the economic morass.

"This year we've had more than our share of bumps, but one thing should be clear: Oakland is on the rise," she said. "We learn from our mistakes and we move forward."

The city has a long way to go. This month, it cut 105 jobs and $28 million from its budget. From 2010 to 2011, homicides jumped by 17 percent to 110, and this year is off to a violent start with 14 homicides so far, including five in the past week. And since October, the city has been besieged by Occupy protests that have occasionally devolved into violence and have cost the city more than $3 million.

Quan has endured her own political setbacks, as well. In her first year in office, several city leaders, including the police chief, city attorney and deputy mayor, left their posts. Her legal adviser, Dan Siegel, also quit, citing her handling of the Occupy protests.

Mayor lambasted

Siegel was not the only one to criticize Quan over the Occupy protests. She has been lambasted by both officials and protesters for changing her policy toward Occupy Oakland, at first ordering the police to clear out the encampment at Frank Ogawa Plaza and then allowing protesters to return. City Administrator Deanna Santana threatened to quit over the flip-flop.

These troubles have led to two recall campaigns. Organizers of both efforts have several months to gather signatures to place the issue on the ballot.

Still, Quan said there is plenty of good news.

"We have one of the most beautiful, diverse, tolerant - and opinionated - cities in the world," she said. "The improvements are not fast, but they are steady."

She cited the city's burgeoning nightlife and cultural scene, noting that it has been extolled by several national publications, has brought thousands of visitors to Oakland and has contributed to a 12.4 percent uptick in sales tax revenue.

Nightlife booming

The boom in nightlife, retail and construction - plus the success of local companies like Pandora and Sungevity - has translated to a 2 percent drop in unemployment and 5,000 new jobs, she said. The city's unemployment rate dropped to 14 percent in December. The Bay Area average is 8.5 percent.

Quan did not mention crime until the end of her speech. She pointed to her "100 Block" anticrime initiative, which includes a wide range of enforcement and prevention tactics in the city's most violent areas, parts of East and West Oakland. The 100 blocks, which Quan recently identified, are where 90 percent of the city's shootings and homicides occur.

Notably absent from the event was Occupy Oakland - both in Quan's speech and in the City Council chamber. Security was tight for the standing-room-only event, and only city officials, media and invited guests were allowed inside the chamber. Outside City Hall, Occupy Oakland staged its weekly general assembly, and about a dozen Occupy members were seen in City Hall after the speech.

Looking forward

Some of Quan's colleagues on the City Council said they forgave her for the missteps from last year and wanted to focus on the future.

"It's an extremely difficult time, and she's certainly doing no worse than any previous mayor," said City Councilwoman Nancy Nadel. "I think a lot of our problems really go beyond the boundaries of Oakland."

Economic growth, housing assistance and job creation should be the city's priorities for 2012, Nadel said.

Crime should also be a priority, said City Councilwoman Pat Kernighan.

"Occupy Oakland will eventually go away, but crime won't," she said. "We need to bring crime down and bring in more jobs, and neither is easy.

"We will come out of these difficult times, economically and otherwise," she added. "I'm not ready to give up."